Kindred - World Building

Kindred is a modern fantasy world; the story happens in a parallel history, where the GIA, a secret international agency, investigates supernatural events around the globe. Instead of destroying demons, curses, and anomalies, the GIA works to contain them as objects, each bound by strange and dangerous rules.

Inspiration

Origins of Kindred

The world setting of Kindred began as an idea I first imagined in middle school. It was initially inspired by Jiangnan’s Dragon Raja—a book series whose style, atmosphere, and characters left a strong impression on me despite its unfinished ending. Growing up as a fan of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, I was fascinated by "The Hero's Journey" type stories where an ordinary teenager is suddenly exposed to the “real world” hidden underneath our own.

This blend of modern fantasy and secret histories became the foundation of Kindred.

As I later studied game design, my creative vocabulary expanded dramatically. Games such as Alan Wake, Alan Wake II, and Control shaped my interest in metafiction, supernatural logic systems, and bureaucratic approaches to the paranormal. Combined with the covert, stylized underworlds of Hitman and John Wick, these influences helped define the structure and tone of organizations like the GIA.

My fascination with Persona’s Palace system inspired the way Kindred visualizes subconscious worlds and demonic entities. And as a long-time student of European history and a fan of Assassin’s Creed, I developed a strong appreciation for grounded alternate histories—something I actively incorporated into the Hidden Church and the world’s political background.

Over time, characters who began as references to my favorite stories gradually evolved into personalities unique to this world.

For me, Kindred became more than a project—it became a long-term practice in worldbuilding, narrative design, and system thinking, shaped through years of rewriting and refinement. I'm trying to create characters from different cultural backgrounds with different themes, so my work can be appealing to audiences around the globe.

I hope this project demonstrates not only the influences that shaped me, but also my ability to synthesize them into a cohesive world of my own.

HISTORY

"An’terōs, the last of the Sins, plunged a dagger into his chest. In that moment, all orders ended."

Long ago, Promia, the bringer of fire, brought humanity freedom and overthrew the rule of angels.

But his seven children—born from the seven desires of free will—betrayed him during the Last Supper.

Promia was bound to a cross and burned alive. Thus began the dark age.

Centuries of war buried their empire, but the remnants still linger in shadows—waiting for return.

The Church & GIA

In the ashes of the Roman Empire, a new faith rose from the ruins—the Hidden Church. Its followers swore loyalty to Promia, believing his return would lead humanity to paradise.

For centuries, they waged wars against the demons, fomenting uprisings across Europe and beyond. Yet its faith fractured over bloodshed, and by the end of the Second World War, it proved too weak to stand.

This led to the establishment of the Global Investigation Agency. Unlike its predecessor, the GIA doesn't participate in political conflicts. Instead, they follow a creed: fight demons with demons.

GIA's agents are drawn from the world’s best elite. And among them walk those who carry demonic blood—the Kindred.

"Welcome to the GIA, we secure, we contain, we protect."

Demons & the Kindred

"During the final stage of possession, the host's personality will be replaced by the demon, a process called metamorphosis."

Demons are the descendants of the Seven Deadly Sins, vessels of pure desire given form.

They once ruled kingdoms, raised empires. Even when their bodies were destroyed, their spirits never truly died.

Over the centuries, people tried to lock them away—into relics, weapons, and forgotten vaults.

But never for long.

What they seek is a perfect vessel—human. Once the possession is completed, the possessed person will become a Kindred.

Kindred gains extraordinary powers from the demon, but every gift comes with a cost—the demon will eventually take control of the body.

Systems in the GIA

The GIA does not hunt demons. It manages them.

The Global Investigation Agency operates as the world's only sanctioned authority on anomalous entities. Where the Church once relied on faith and fire, the GIA replaced it with protocol, containment, and bureaucracy.

Every demon is catalogued. Every agent is ranked. Every breach is responded to — quietly, efficiently, and without public record.

The GIA's founding creed is simple: fight demons with demons. Its agents are drawn from the world's elite — and among them walk the Kindred, humans bound to demonic entities, trained to suppress what they carry.

What the public doesn't know won't destabilize them. The GIA prefers it that way.

"Anomaly log #4471 — containment successful. Casualties: two agents. Classification: acceptable."

"My lifelong dream is to put an end to the demon, so mankind can finally to enter a true lost paradise."

The Storyline

It all began with a writer.

Qin Mo, a Chinese novelist who vanished years ago, possessed the power to alter reality through writing.

The GIA believes Qin is still alive—or something wearing his name is. His dark stories continue to come true, and within these manuscripts, a single theme recurs: the resurrection of the Seven Deadly Sins.

To find Qin, the GIA needs someone closer—his son, Moming. A teenager from Manhattan’s Chinatown, who never knew his father was rewriting the world.

With the death of Senator Anderson, Moming is forced to join the GIA—thrown into a war between man and his own creation.